Monday Matters #2

The Unlikeliest of Coalitions

Can Adversaries Become Allies to Fight ISIS?

This editorial written by The Editorial Board of the New York Times gives their opinion on what needs to be done in order to stop ISIS from expanding and possibly taking of the nation. It also gives information on the obstacles that are preventing further progress in stopping the ISIS threat.

The articles quotes,"The Obama administration needs to bring together a reliable international coalition as the backbone of its campaign to defeat the Islamic State, the Sunni extremist group that controls large parts of Iraq and Syria." This means that the countries need to unite in order to go up against the extremist militant group. It also states that over 40 countries have agreed to work together to stop this threat, however there are a few countries that are preventing this from happening. The first of these being Turkey. Turkey has one of the groups largest armies, which would be a valuable asset. However, the country refuses to fight on the front lines because of the ISIS hostage kidnapping of Turkish diplomats. Also,  Turkey refuses to take aggressive measures by stopping border crossing flow that is benefiting ISIS. 

The second and third of these obstacles are Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states and Iran and Syria. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States have agreed to join the fight in stopping ISIS, however they also have been provided Islamic militant groups with financial aid and weapons. Iran and Syria have been considering ISIS a threat for decades now. However, the nations will not involve themselves in direct cooperation with American forces, because they fear it could affect Mr. Assad's hold on power.

It is uncertain if the Obama Administration can bring together these allies to join up against ISIS. So far, the sole focus is on what each country's military can provide in the war efforts. These are not guaranteed resolutions for the ISIS problem, but strong advancements in the process.